The California Department of Recycling recently announced the availability of $131 million in funding to provide more easy options for beverage container swapping for CRV deposit reimbursement in communities that need services most. The Beverage Container Rebate Innovation Subsidies Program supports projects that make the CRV rebate exchange in California faster and easier for residents.
“California is bringing more beverage container recycling projects to more communities and innovating with new, simple methods to make CRV deposit reimbursement easier for Californians,” said CalRecycle Director Zoe Heller. “These renovations are designed to make it easy to receive your CRV deposit refund as it was when you paid it, so you can reuse more materials.”
Adding to last year’s grants, which will allow Californians to trade in their beverage containers for cash at nearly 200 new sites, additional funding is now available for a variety of projects aimed at serving Californians across the state, including:
$55 million is for Collection Centers to create or expand rebate options to include reverse vending machines, return of empty beverage containers through bags or mobile recycling programs.
$40 million for small non-profit beverage merchant cooperatives to carry out the exchange for CRV reimbursement on behalf of their members using reverse vending machines, return of empty beverage containers by means of bags or mobile recycling program options.
$21 million for small beverage merchants to add reverse vending machines to their store(s).
$15 million to enable Eligible Tribes to develop or expand reimbursement options to include reverse vending machines, empty beverage container returns via bags, or mobile recycling programs.
Application deadlines vary by grant cycle and can be found on CalRecycle’s Rebate Innovation Grants webpage.
The first round of CRV rebate innovation projects, awarded in the fall of 2024, is projected to aggregate nearly 200 new recycling projects across 27 California counties. Operational timelines per project vary.
The new take-back rules for small beverage merchants went into effect on Jan. 1, 2025.
Californians can find their option to exchange their empty beverage containers for the nearest CRV deposit at BottlesandCans.com, which also includes a full list of eligible CRV beverage containers and answers to frequently asked questions about the CRV rebate.
CalRecycle’s mission is to protect California’s environment and climate for the health and prosperity of future generations through the reduction, reuse, and recycling of California’s resources, environmental education, disaster recovery, and transitioning from a disposable to a fully circular economy.
